


Your lips taste of Immunoglobulin E

by WingcommanderArthurShappey



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Arthur is having an unexpected allergy attack, M/M, to something he usually isn't allergic to...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 00:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1878354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingcommanderArthurShappey/pseuds/WingcommanderArthurShappey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day, they kiss, and it's just like eating dragon fruit.<br/>And that's a very, very, very bad thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your lips taste of Immunoglobulin E

**Author's Note:**

> For Leslie. :)

 

Skip tastes particularly sweet today.

Arthur loves kissing him, he _loves_ it - he could stay right here, right here on this comfy bed with his boyfriend for the rest of the day, _gosh_ , what's he _saying_ , for the rest of his _life_! He loves him so, so much. He can feel it in his hands, in the way his fingertips tickle as Arthur slides his hands under Skip's shirt, and over his belly, and all across his sides and his chest and his back. He can feel it with every heart beat, in the way his lips start itching just slightly, and then there's a tingly warmth in Arthur's mouth and the inside of his neck, spreading rapidly.

Wait.

That's not normal.

"Arthur?"

Skip sounds confused, because Arthur stops touching him altogether and draws back and stares at him, and he's trying to make sense of whatever just happened, but - that can't be possible, no, that's - no -

"Arthur, are you all right? Arthur?"

Arthur wants to say "Skip!", but it comes out as "Shgib!", and that's _really_   worrying, because now there's no doubt that - there's absolutely _no_ doubt that Arthur is -

"Oh God, Arthur! Wait, don't move - although, no, please _do_ move - h-hand me my trousers, would you?"

Arthur nods and tries not to think about what just happened, but it doesn't _work_. This is _horrible_. Of all the things - why does it _have_ to be - he squeezes his eyes shut and opens them again, and then he grabs the pair of black trousers Skip's talking about. They're on the floor next to and slightly under the bed, along with Arthur's shirt and socks and Skip's jacket. He can see that Skip tries to keep calm, but there really is no reason to be calm, no reason at all, because Arthur is - Arthur is -

There's an EpiPen in Skip's hand, because he always keeps one in his trouser pocket, and Arthur's eyes widen when he sees that.

"Ngo-"

"Arthur, love, you know the drill -"

"Mmm, ngo, Shgib..."

"This is going to sting a little, but I want you to keep _very_ still, okay? Arthur-"

Arthur wiggles out of bed and lands on the floor. He shakes his head, and now there are tears in his eyes, hot and sharp and urgent and he crawls away from Skip, backwards, and now he can't breathe. He's gasping, but he can't breathe, because his neck suddenly feels so tight, like someone is strangling him from the inside, and everything goes a bit blurry around the edges.

It's not the needle Arthur's afraid of.

Okay, maybe a bit.

But not _mostly_ the needle.

Skip's next to him now, and he's only wearing his shirt and his pants and his socks, blue socks, and he looks cute in them, but Arthur can't concentrate on that. He can't concentrate on Skip's socks because he's sobbing now, and Skip's hand is on his shoulder, and there's all the worry of the world in his eyes.

"Arthur, _please_ , I need to use the pen on you, okay? Remember that little frozen yogurt stand you had your eye on? I'll take you there when everything's over, but now I need you to keep still for me."

Arthur shakes his head again, and he thinks, with the last bit of energy that's left in his brain, that Skip must be _really worried_ about him to promise him something like that.

He stops squirming now, because he really doesn't want Skip to worry so much, and closes his eyes. Skip says something reassuring, although Arthur can hear that wobbly egde in his voice that tells him that not everything's as all right as Skip would like him to think, and then he feels that stinging in his thigh, and that means that Skip's used the pen on him.

"Arthur, can you breathe? Look at me. Please."

Arthur sniffles and opens his eyes. He _is_ worrying Skip. He can see it. Skip pulls him into a tender hug and Arthur goes soft, and his head drops to rest on Skip's shoulder. There are gentle hands in his hair, and Arthur can hear that Skip's heart is beating fast, probably faster than Skip would ever admit, and it's all Arthur's fault. He wraps his arms around his boyfriend and clings to him, but even though he's not squirming and wriggling anymore, he's still sobbing and he just can't seem to stop. He grips the back of Skip's shirt and holds on to it, because Arthur is... he's...

"Shh, shh. Arthur. Listen to me. Listen to my voice, p-please. I need you to tell me if you're all right. Take a _deep_ breath... come on, for me. I'm using my captain's voice here. Breathe in... just like that... and _out_ again. _Deep breath_ , yes, very good. That's it. You're doing _great_ , love. Now look at me."

Arthur's a bit less panicky now, and he's discovered he _can_ breathe if he just focuses on Skip's voice instead of the sobbing, and his neck already feels a tiny bit less tight and swollen. He looks up at Martin, and he thinks that it's really brilliant and surprising how good he's become at calming Arthur down even when his own heart is racing in his chest and there's cold sweat in his hairline because he's so worried about him. And that makes everything even worse, because Arthur wants to kiss him and tell him how much he loves him, but - but Arthur might never kiss or touch him again, because... because... - he can't help it, he starts crying again.

"All right. Okay, Arthur, keep your eyes open. I know Carolyn said you don't need medical help if you're injected with the antidote, but I think I'm going to take you to see a doctor, just - just to check on you, okay? It's _all_ going to be _fine_ , you're going to be fine - No?"

What? No, Arthur doesn't want to see a doctor. He wipes at his swollen face and shakes his head for the hundredth time today, or maybe not _literally_ for the hundredth time, but he hasn't been counting and it _feels_ like the hundredth time.

"'M hine. I gon'k ngeed a goctor."

Skip's brow furrows just slightly, and his eyes move in those tiny, fast movements that mean he's scanning Arthur's face to make sure he's telling the truth. Arthur can feel tears well up in his eyes again when he sees that. Skip's face goes tight, like it always does when he's confused and worried.

"Arthur, what's wrong? Tell me."

But Arthur can't. He can't tell him what just happened, because it's just so horrible, he doesn't even want to think about it. He closes his eyes and hides his face in the crook of Skip's neck. He rubs his cheek against the soft, tender skin there and that calms him down a bit. They're quiet for a moment. And when Skip speaks after a couple of seconds, Arthur can hear his voice before it even leaves Skip's mouth, because he's pressing his ear against his boyfriend's neck and he can hear every breath and every heartbeat and he feels the little vibrations that carry Martin's words.

"Arthur..." he says, and there's something like a little laugh in his voice, "Arthur, is it possible you're reacting like this because you think you've become allergic to me?"

There. Skip's said it. Skip's realised what's going on, and Arthur can't held back the giant sob that's being ripped from his lungs, because that thought is so _horrible_ , so utterly and unbelievably _awful_ that Arthur thinks he's never going to be happy again, and that's a silly thing to think, but he doesn't know what he's done wrong to deserve this. First the strawberries, and now Skip!

"Oh, Arthur... I'm so sorry." Martin sounds completely serious now, and he's stroking Arthur's hair, and Arthur wants to close his ears and not listen to anything he says, because he _knows_ what he's going to say - _I'm so sorry, Arthur, but I'm afraid we can never kiss again. Maybe we'll be able to hold hands, but only if we're wearing gloves. We can still cuddle, but we need to wrap thick woolly blankets around ourselves so your skin doesn't touch mine..._

That's not what Skip says, though. He says:

"This is all my fault. Do you remember what I said when you asked me if we could stop by that frozen yoghurt stand?"

Arthur sniffles and looks up at him again. He's not saying anything about cuddling or kissing or holding hands, and that's relieving, in an odd way.

"You shaid we cougn't shgob there becaushe we were having bweakfashg ag the hogel..."

"Exactly. Breakfast at the hotel. And do you remember what was in the fruit salad?"

"Oh, loadsh of thingsh. Grape, ang apple ang owange ang kiwi ang..."

Arthur thinks very hard to remember all the fruits. Then he does, and his eyes go wide.

"Shtrawbewwiesh?"

"Yes. Well done, Arthur. Strawberries in the fruit salad. A-and I didn't... I'm so sorry, it was a long flight and I w-was tired and h-hungry and I-I-I... I didn't _think_ \- Arthur, I'm so sorry, but I had a couple of spoonfuls of fruit salad and then I kissed you without brushing my teeth first... I'm so, so sorry. I... I don't know how I could let that happen, oh, Arthur..."

Suddenly, only for a second, Skip looks like he might cry, too, but then his face goes back to normal and he puts his hand on Arthur's cheek to stroke it softly with his thumb.

"Do you understand, Arthur? You're not allergic to me. You'll never be allergic to me. It's still only the strawberries, and, okay, and the dragon fruit, but it's not me. There was strawberry acid on my lips from when I ate the salad, and your body reacted to it."

"You mean..."

"Yes. We can still kiss, Arthur. You can't just become allergic to a person, that's impossible. Trust me. Oh God, Carolyn is going to kill me if she finds out about this..."

Skip goes a bit pale around the nose and Arthur realises that thinking he was going to be unhappy for the entire rest of his life was a really stupid thing to do, because he's already smiling again.

"I won'g gell her, Shkig. Ang you promish, you absholugely promish -"

"I promise, Arthur. It was because of the strawberries. Just because of the... sodding strawberries." Skip chuckles a bit, and it's the best thing Arthur's ever heard. He's so relieved, it feels like his heart is getting ready for take-off.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Arthur. I should have been more careful. Can you forgive me?"

Arthur nods so quickly the bones in his neck make a funny noise, and he cups Skip's face in his hands to pull him into a gentle kiss.

"Ah-ah-ah, no. Not before I've thoroughly brushed my teeth. I don't want to cause another panic attack. Come on, you lovely monkey-face."

Skip gets up and takes Arthur's hand to help him stand, and he gives him a long, warm hug before he reaches for Arthur's Shirt and his socks.

"Now. How about a large cup of that frozen yogurt?"

Arthur decides that this is the best day of his life.

Sometimes, all you need is a good scare.

If you're really very lucky, it makes you the happiest steward in the _universe_.


End file.
